NHTSA OKs electronic tyre registration in final rule

ERJ staff report (TB)

Washington, DC - Tyre distributors and dealers may now officially use electronic means to accommodate the federal mandate to register newly-purchased tyres, according to the final rule handed down Nov. 28 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

As in the proposal NHTSA issued Jan. 24, the agency has codified the circumstances under which manufacturer-owned dealers, independent dealers and the motoring public may use the Internet and other electronic forms of registration.

Independent dealers may now use electronic registration instead of giving paper forms to customers, as long as the tire maker approves the form the electronic registration takes, NHTSA said. If dealers use paper registration forms, the agency said, they may include on them the address of a manufacturer Web site where consumers may register their tyres instead of mailing in the forms.

The final rule does not impose new burdens on tyre dealers or manufacturers, but merely clarifies the use of electronic registration and the recordkeeping requirements of tire makers, the agency said.

Interested parties have until Jan. 12 to challenge the rule.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

Website of NHTSA